Early White Stripes Single Sold For $18,000 At Auction

Sales of recorded music may be floundering, but there’s still a niche market out there, which is populated by people who will think nothing of laying down major sums of money for rare and coveted vinyl gems. If anyone out there has been with the White Stripes since day one and has a few rarities in their collection, it’s time to guard them with your life, because a copy of an early single by the band just fetched $18,000 at an auction.

“Lafayette Blues” was released back in 1998 through the Italy Records label, and only 15 hand-pained copies were made. Fast-forward 12 years and the single, which was only sold at Detroit’s Gold Dollar venue, has changed hands for the five-figure sum at an auction, although the purchaser with a hole in his/her wallet remains unknown (for now, at least).

Incredibly, the Third Man website claims there is an even rarer version of the single out there—this version of “Lafayette Blues” was hand painted by label boss Dave Buick, and there are apparently a number of copies out there that were daubed by Jack White himself. White also claims there are copies of singles out there that he slipped into furniture (yes, really) when he worked as an upholsterer and formed a band named (you guessed it) the Upholsterers. To date, none of those have been found, but Detroit area music fans may want to consider ripping up those old couches in their living rooms.